Separation
by Ishmael1
Summary: HsienKo's attempt to return home doesn't go as planned. EDIT: A long overdue addition has been added.
1. Chapter 1

Legal Stuff: The following is a parody. The trademarks and copyrights for all prominent characters featured are held by their respective owners with no claims of ownership being made by the author. 

"So what are we doing here anyway?"

"Hsien-Ko, keep your voice down!"

"I am keeping my voice down," the kuang-shi hissed back, "but you left me in my coffin for three weeks and woke me up just to make me tramp up the side of a mountain to watch some witch cast a spell. Considering I have no idea what's going on I think I've been pretty patient up until now."

"Sorry," Mei-Ling replied. "It's just that I think this may be our ticket home so I'm a little nervous about the whole thing."

"She's our ticket home?" An elderly woman with skin the color and texture of leather was kneeling on the ground in front of them whispering an incantation. The dirty brown dress she wore crinkled as she shifted her weight from one knee to another.

"Well not her but what it is she claimed she can summon up."

"Which is?"

"Nothing."

"You're losing me sis."

"Let me see if I can explain this... you know why we were summoned back into Makai, right?"

"The energy from the return of Jedah pulled us out of our current reincarnation and back into our previous lives as undead monster hunters, or at least that's the best theory either of us could come up with."

"Exactly, but Jedah's been missing for months and we still haven't reverted to being human. Something must be holding us to this previous existence. But what if we found a way to disable the connection between us and Makai? This woman," Mei-Ling nodded toward the witch, "claims that she not only understands the chaos of the Void, but is able to summon it into our universe of matter. Literally, she is able to bring up nothing.

"We've been spending our time looking for something that will let us return to life. But what if we went at the problem a different way and used nothing instead? My theory is that if we can somehow get this nothing she summons up between us and whatever is holding us here we'll become freed from this world and go back to our current lives."

"Or else we'll totally lose our grip on the cycle of death and rebirth and disappear altogether," Hsien-Ko replied. "Why didn't you wake me up and ask me what I thought about this crazy idea?"

"You told me not to!" Mei-Ling shot back. The young woman grimaced when she realized how loud her voice had become. "I'm just worried about you, that's all," she continued in a much softer tone. "The longer you're in that kuang-shi body the more you are acting like a reanimated corpse. That's the reason I let you sleep for so long, I didn't want you exert yourself and cause you to get even more tied to this realm."

"Gee, when you put it that way, that's sort of sweet Mei-Ling. But how are you doing? After all, we're both in the same predicament here."

"I'm doing well enough, thanks for asking. At least I haven't started turning blue," Mei-Ling said as she patted the cold, dead skin of her sister's shoulder.

"Too bad, a little color would do you good," Hsien-Ko replied. "You're too pale even when you're alive. Or... well..."

"What is it Hsien-Ko?"

"All this talk about our previous lives reminded me of something I was thinking about before I fell asleep in my coffin. Are we really sure we were alive?"

"What? Hsien-Ko, is being a kuang-shi affecting your memory as well?"

"It's not this," Hsien-Ko rubbed her light blue hands together, "at least I don't think it is. It's just that people aren't supposed to remember their previous lives and they certainly aren't supposed to return to living them."

"We're a little different. We've done everything from interact with the house of Aensland to meeting the Vampire Savior himself. It's not surprising we're a little out of whack."

"But why do we remember so much about that long period when we were undead? We can remember events from the Ch'ing Dynasty like they were yesterday even though the most we should know about that time in history is what we read out of a book. Why is so much from our present lives so foggy? Tell me, what do you remember about mom?"

"Mother? Gee... we spent our entire childhood with her but I'm still not sure I knew her. She taught us everything we know about fighting the Darkness but during all our time together I always thought of her as our teacher and our mother but not as who she was outside of those roles. For instance, I've always wondered what was on her mind when she cast that spell that doomed her. If she had known what would happen to her daughters because of her actions would she have still gone through with it? What would-"

"Ah," Hsien-Ko held up a finger to stop her sister, "that's nice but I wasn't referring to the mother we spent centuries working to free from the Darkness. Our current mother, the one from our new lives."

"What?"

"Tell me something about her. What time does she get up in the morning? What is her smile like? When does-"

"Stop it Hsien-Ko! Neither of us are well and this sort of talk is not going to help matters."

"But don't you see?" Hsien-Ko asked. "Our lives as Hunters feels wrong but we know so much about it while our current reincarnations are so vague it's like we never lived that new life at all. Was the time when we thought we were alive again just a dream? Are we really kuang-shi or is this an illusion? How are we supposed to know what's real?"

"You're being silly," Mei-Ling replied. "People have been trying to explain how they exist for centuries. I don't think we're going to solve that question while standing here on this mountain."

"And you're avoiding the question," Hsien-Ko continued. "Our problem is a lot more direct. What if we're trying to get back to a life that never was? Are we ghosts who are trying to fool themselves into believing they were alive? How do we know that our lives as Hunters are over?" Hsien-Ko paused, and then said in a quiet voice. "How do we know that we freed mom?"

"Hsien-Ko you're scaring me!"

"I'm not trying to be mean but I'm scared too. Are we really on the right path here?"

"I don't know," Mei-Ling shook her head. "All we can do is trust our hearts and try to do the right thing."

"You're right, but I'm still worried."

The sisters then stood in silence and watched the witch continue her spell. The old woman stopped her chanting, placed her hands on the ground and fell silent. For several minutes the only sound was an evening breeze that was blowing across the outcrop.

"Say sis, there's something else I was thinking of."

"Please Hsien-Ko," Mei-Ling replied, "you're going to break her concentration."

"I don't know what she's doing," Hsien-Ko said as she looked at the witch, "but I don't think she's paying any attention to us. Anyway, my question is, have either one of us ever kissed a boy?"

"What are you talking about now?"

"Hear me out. I don't remember much from when we were last alive so I can't say anything about what happened then. In our previous lives we spent most of our time being mentored by mom. Since magic is interconnected to the body we knew a lot more about how humans operate than most people but in that time and place we didn't have much say in who our future suitors might be. In the long period we spent not being dead or alive the only men who showed any interest in us were either perverts or monsters. Does that mean we're nearing our third century of being spinsters?"

"Considering we spent most of that time as the living dead I hardly think you should count that against us," Mei-Ling replied. "We also had other things occupying our time."

"I know that. What I'm getting at is have we ever been older than sixteen? Will we ever know what it's like to be an adult? Is it our fate to stay in this weird limbo where we're not really young or old, alive or dead or really much of anything? Will we ever get to experience everything that comes with being a person?"

"Hsien-Ko, this topic is even worse than the last one."

"I'm sorry to be so glum," Hsien-Ko said, "it's just that no matter what we do we never seem to get anywhere. At the moment I feel disconnected from everything."

The two sisters went back to quietly watching the witch lay on the ground.

"You're sure about her, right?" Hsien-Ko finally whispered.

"I'll admit her claims seemed a lot more convincing when she wasn't sitting on a rock halfway up a mountain. Is this part of the spell or do you think she's fallen asleep?"

"Do you think it would make any difference if we left and came back- hey, somebody's coming up behind us."

Shambling up the path was something with the semblance of a man. It moved with a slow, unnatural gait, as if it had been brought into full being without any knowledge of how to operate its body. The thick, dirty red skin and lack of definition to its body helped create the impression that it was a crude clay model instead of a moving, living being. When it saw the three women it let out a low, dry moan and began to awkwardly scramble up towards them.

"It's a golem, or maybe a homunculus," Hsien-Ko said. "Some sort of artificial human at any rate. How do you suppose it got out here?"

"I don't know," Mei-Ling replied, "maybe somebody abandoned it? But whatever happened the thing has probably been wandering around these mountains for ages. Without anyone to give it orders it must have gone insane a long time ago."

The monster stopped and let out a groan of confusion and anger before it started to shamble up the path once again.

"Whatever happened it's out of control which means it's even more dangerous than it would be otherwise," Mei-Ling concluded. "We better deal with it before it makes it up here to the ridge."

Before the two hunters could start down the path the old woman behind them screamed. "It's gone! The nothingness has gone!"

The two sisters looked back at the witch and then looked at each other.

"What is she going on about?" Hsien-Ko said, "How can nothing be missing?"

"First thing's first," Mei-Ling replied. "Let's take care of that thing before we worry about her complaints."

The roar of a gun froze the pair. The artificial man twitched then slowly tried to turn its bulky frame around as it groped at its back. A second shot caused the monster's body to spasm. The creature coughed once, bringing up a mixture of dirt and blood, crumpled to the ground, and was still.

A man in a suit and tie stood down the path from the body of the constructed man. Satisfied that the creature was dead he slung the massive revolver he was carrying onto his shoulder and headed up the path.

"I dunno what that thing was but it's not going to bother anyone now," he said when he was within a few paces of the outcrop.

"Er, thank you for the assistance," Mei-Ling said, "we weren't expecting to meet any trouble up here."

"We weren't expecting to meet anybody up here," Hsien-Ko added.

"My sister and I thank you for your help but may we ask what you are doing here? Finding someone who looks like they came from Earthrealm in this remote section of Makai is unusual."

"Makai? Huh. Anyway, I'm Dan, a member of the Smith 'family.' I was sent out to do a job but instead ended up... eh, somewhere where I'm not supposed to be is the best way to put it. While I was trying to figure out what was going on I stumbled across you girls and ugly back there. So what's your excuse for being out here?"

"The nothing! It's the nothing!" The old witch scrabbled on her hands and knees between the two kuang-shi to stare down at the dark haired man below them. "The nothing became caught on an idea and pulled it into our world! An error in the spell and fiction became fact!"

Dan frowned. "Wait a sec; are you the ones who dumped me here?"

"What do you mean?" Mei-Ling asked. The hunters tensed up as Dan's attitude became more confrontational. The old woman between them continued to stare at Dan with a mixture of amazement and fear.

"Look, I'm trying not to lose my temper here," Dan said. "Put things back the way they were and we'll call it even."

"An idea given form is no longer an abstract," the witch said. "What is done cannot be undone!"

"You mean I'm stuck here? Dammit!" Dan flipped the gun off his shoulder and shot the witch between the eyes.

The old witch pitched forward, the spray from the exit wound pushing her head to the ground. Hsien-Ko swore and took a step away from the dead woman. Mei-Ling cringed at the gory sight and then looked at her sister.

"Hsien-Ko, get ready!"

Centuries of practice allowed Mei-Ling to invoke the transformation spell almost instantly. The young girl's body vanished in a burst of light and energy which swirled together and flew to her sister. The energy re-solidified, becoming an ofuda which attached itself to Hsien-Ko's hat. Hsien-Ko's body jerked at the touch of the talisman. The human behavior Hsien-Ko had displayed before was gone, replaced by the twitching, peculiar movements of a Chinese ghost. United with her sister they were now the hunter team that had successfully battled against Darkstalkers for centuries. Hsien-Ko slid her arms into her long sleeves, held them up in front of her, and pointed the talons that hung from their openings at Dan. Even though her head rolled and swayed she kept her eyes focused on the killer in front of her.

If Dan was impressed by the fusion of the two sisters it didn't show on his face. The killer slung the gun back onto his shoulder and watched Hsien-Ko.

The kuang-shi crouched and sprung to her right. Dan snapped his revolver into a ready position and fired into the spot in the air that she was leaping into. Hsien-Ko, however, vanished the instant she left the ground. Since she was not quite in either the land of the living or the dead Hsien-Ko had much greater freedom of movement and was able to manage short hops that left her neither here nor there. Coming out of her teleport, Hsien-Ko swung one of her sleeves toward Dan. The heavy talons shot out from the cuff of her sleeve, dragging a thick chain behind them. Dan leapt out of the way as the metal claws tore into the ground but his evasion put him directly in the path of a dagger Hsien-Ko had thrown immediately afterward from her other hand. The knife sank into Dan's chest. The gunman groaned, lost his footing and rolled down the path.

"Ha, got him!" Hsien-Ko yelled triumphantly.

"Nice work but did you have to kill him?" Mei-Ling's voice said inside Hsien-Ko's mind. "I would have liked to find out why he thought he had to kill us."

"Yeah, that would have been nice to know, wouldn't it?" Hsien-Ko conceded. "But people shooting at us always makes me a little crabby. So now what do we do? Instead of a way home all we have is a huge mess and a pile of dead bodies."

"I don't know. This whole trip turned out terribly, didn't it?" Hsien-Ko could feel her sister's regret wash through the body they currently shared. "People died for no good reason and I forced you to turn into a full kuang-shi."

"You didn't force me to do anything," Hsien-Ko said. "I have as much say in our ability to unite as you do and that was an emergency. That guy down there... huh?"

Dan's spill down the mountain left his body facing away from the twins. Although it was hard to tell from only being able to see his back it looked as if he was still breathing. Slowly the killer pushed himself up with the hand that still held his gun while his left hand groped at his chest. All at once Dan's strength seemed to return as he stood up and turned to face Hsien-Ko. Dan smirked as he pitched away the knife. The white shirt under his blazer was not only free of blood but didn't even have a tear in it from where the knife had sliced in.

"No way, I got a clean hit on him!"

"Careful," Mei-Ling said. "Remember that we're not the only ones around here who are sturdier than they look."

Dan hoisted his gun back onto his shoulder and waited, his eyes fixed on Hsien-Ko. The young girl who had been dead for centuries and the man in the navy blue suit stared at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

"I don't like this sis," Hsien-Ko whispered, "he's far too confident. We're letting him set the pace of the fight."

The talons that hung from Hsien-Ko's sleeves clanged as she slid her sleeves together. Hsien-Ko then crouched down until the fabric from her closed sleeves was nearly touching the ground.

If Dan was concerned about Hsien-Ko's movements it didn't show. The assassin watched Hsien-Ko fold herself into a compact stance but did nothing about it.

Suddenly Hsien-Ko sprang into the air and vanished once again. Because she disappeared the instant she had started her leap it was impossible to determine which direction she was going. One moment there was the rustle of fabric as she began to move and the next she was gone.

Dan fired wildly, peppering the rise with bullets. A stray shot caught Hsien-Ko in the leg as she came back into reality. The kuang-shi screamed and crashed onto the rocky outcropping. Dan slowly walked up the path until he was standing directly over the girl but Hsien-Ko remained sprawled on the ground.

"Humph, it was stupid of you to try the same trick twice, especially since I figured you were too squeamish to jump to your left and risk landing on a dead body," Dan jerked his head toward the dead witch.

"Who are you?" Hsien-Ko asked through gritted teeth. The pain of the bullet wound was causing her normally unresponsive ghoulish body to perspire.

"What? You don't know?" Dan broke into an angry smile, his face never losing its look of hostility and violence even when he laughed. "I'm what you were trying to summon up."

"That doesn't make sense, you're a person, you're something." Hsien-Ko managed to slide her arms out of their sleeves and prop herself up on her forearms. The pain from the injury to her leg kept her from moving the lower half of her body.

"I'm not a person, I'm a fictional character. I was created to be part of a story. You were trying to summon into reality something that doesn't exist, right? But that old bat made a mistake and instead of summoning up nothing she pulled up something else who's only ties to the universe are a few lines of code and some notes filed in a desk drawer somewhere. I'm essentially nothing but there's still enough of an idea about what I am that when that spell grabbed a hold of me I formed into a full person. Too bad for you that out of all the fictional characters you could summon up you ended up with a professional hitman." Dan pivoted the cylinder out of his large revolver. Over a dozen empty casings rattled to the ground next to Hsien-Ko.

"My story has been written and re-written and I remember it all," Dan continued as he clicked a ring of bullets from a speed loader into his revolver. "I've had love interests only to have them written out of the story. I've been killed off... hell, I don't remember how many times. All the chaos that comes with trying to write a story was inflicted on me and I remember every damn part of it. But even with all that editing, all that revision, I've always been written as a killer. It's my one constant, defining trait and I've learned to love it. Even here in the real world it seems I still have the knack for it."

"But why are after us? You've been freed from your story, you can do whatever you want now."

"Do you think I want this?" Dan snarled. "When a story is complete the characters have a purpose, a meaning to their creation. Not only that, but a story can have an audience for generations. Within the setting of a story I was immortal! But what am I now? Thanks to you I'm trapped in a reality where I don't fit. I'm not an actual person, I'm not the product of someone's imagination, I'm not anything. I may be close to nothing now but it's more than you're going to be in a second."

"It was a mistake!" Hsien-Ko yelled. "You're going to kill us over a mistake?"

"That's right." Having finished reloading Dan popped the cylinder back into the gun and aimed at the top of Hsien-Ko's head. "So long, kid."

It was with supreme effort that Hsien-Ko pushed herself up off the ground and away from Dan. Although she didn't put any weight on her injured leg she managed to stay balanced long enough on her good foot that she was able to pull another weapon out of her sleeve. A gong that was nearly as large as Hsien-Ko let out a dull, flat ring when it slid out and hit the ground. Hsien-Ko gripped the top lip of the massive gong to keep both it and her from falling over.

Dan stopped and watched Hsien-Ko's actions with mild curiosity. Upon deciding that Hsien-Ko's latest attack wasn't going to be any more interesting than the ability to pull a cymbal out of her sleeve Dan fired. As the gun went off Hsien-Ko furiously banged on the back of the gong. Dan winced from the magically enhanced noise. When he shook his head to clear the ringing from his ears he noticed the blood running down his shirt. A realization of what had happened crossed his face as he looked at the unharmed kuang-shi. The reverberations of the gong had magically reflected the bullet back at him. Hit by his own shot Dan fell and tumbled down the pathway yet again.

Hsien-Ko clamped her sleeve onto the top of the gong and began to hop away even before the cymbal had finished being absorbed back into her costume. The kuang-shi scrabbled furiously up the mountain, balancing herself with her talons as she kept her weight off her injured leg. Upon reaching another outcropping Hsien-Ko threw herself behind a large boulder and collapsed.

"Hah, that's what he gets for being cocky," Hsien-Ko said as she gasped for air that her undead body didn't need.

"Hsien-Ko, why are you blocking me out? I can help with the pain."

"Separate from me first sis, then I'll explain things."

The ofuda on Hsien-Ko's brow shimmered and re-formed as Mei-Ling.

"Now what about your-" Mei-Ling lost her voice when she saw her sister's wound. Hsien-Ko's trouser leg was black with blood and the leg just below the knee laid sprawled an impossible angle.

"Hsien-Ko your leg is off!"

"Yeah, that bullet hit the bone and tore everything else off along with it. Normally we can heal up pretty quickly when we're together but that hit did a number on me. I don't know what that guy is packing but if he gets a clean shot on us we're done for."

"Hsien-Ko, we have to re-bond right now! That's far too much for you to deal with on your own."

"No way. One of us needs a clear head if we're going to get out of this and I'm in too much pain to think straight. I hope you can think of something because I'm all out of ideas."

The girls silently pondered their limited options until Hsien-Ko let out a groan.

"Why did I run up the slope?" she moaned. "If I had run down past him we might have made it to the base of the mountain and away from him."

"But would he ever stop hunting us?" Mei-Ling asked. "He also admitted that killing is the only thing that made him the character he is. With that temper of his how long will it be before he starts murdering everyone he comes across? He could be worse than any monster here in Makai. No, we're going to have to deal with him eventually so it might as well be now."

"Okay," Hsien-Ko said, "but how?"

Mei-Ling was silent.

"What are we going to do?" Hsien-Ko repeated. "The guy isn't real and he doesn't seem to have any problem with it. How do we stop someone who doesn't exist? Please Mei-Ling, come up with something or we're not getting out of this one."

"Don't sound so dramatic," Mei-Ling chided. "Now hush up and let me think."

Mei-Ling hoped she sounded more confident than she was. How could they defeat someone who flaunted the fact that he was a fictional character? The paradox of his existence didn't seem to bother him. Their weapons appeared to be worthless and if he came back after Hsien-Ko's reflect attack it meant that he couldn't be harmed by his own gun either. She was also certain he couldn't be reasoned with. The emotions and motivations of a character in a story were shaped by the demands of the plot instead of normal behavior. Now that he was loose from the structure that defined him it was impossible to guess how he would react to problems he encountered. Mei-Ling fell silent as she pondered how to defeat someone who was little more than a thought.

With a jerk Mei-Ling's head snapped up. She went over to the edge of the depression they were in and peered down the slope of the mountain. Satisfied with what she saw she went over to her sister.

"How is your leg?"

"It hurts." Still sprawled against the rock she had collapsed behind, Hsien-Ko held her severed limb against the stump of her leg. "I'm glad I can't see it through my pants but I can feel all the muscles re-attaching themselves and, well, it doesn't feel very good and let's leave it at that. Is the suit coming?"

"He's coming but he's still a good distance away. You managed to climb quite a ways on only one leg."

"And here you always said I was lazy," Hsien-Ko replied. "So... do you have a plan?"

"Yes, I do." Mei-Ling pulled off her hat and placed it next to her sister. "I'm going to use the Igyo Tenshin."

"What?" Hsien-Ko yelled. "That's the spell that killed mom!"

"The only way to stop him is to either bind him or send him back to where he belongs. The Igyo Tenshin spell is the only thing we have that is powerful enough to have a chance of stopping him."

"But there's no guarantee it will work and no matter what happens you'll be pulled into the Darkness! I can't lose you too!" Hsien-Ko reached toward her sister but the movement caused her leg to shift. The pain made Hsien-Ko double over and grab her wound to steady it.

"Hopefully the spell only requires a sacrifice for what it pulls in," Mei-Ling said. "Since he's a physical manifestation of nothing pulling him in should make it so that the spell demands nothing from me in return. At least, I'm hoping that's what happens. Wish me luck."

Mei-Ling smiled to her sister and ran to the top of the outcropping. Hsien-Ko screamed after her but Mei-Ling did her best to ignore her cries. Standing in clear view of the mountain below the young woman began to chant the long, complex incantation of the spell.

Dan ambled up the slope, seemingly in no hurry to kill his latest victims. Upon seeing Mei-Ling he stopped and said, "What, are you going to try yet another trick? You might as well stop it, they aren't working."

Mei-Ling couldn't hear Dan's chiding over the spell rumbling through her body. Other spells she had cast had caused minor ripples inside her as she used magic to re-shape reality to her choosing. The Igyo Tenshin, however, made her shimmer with power waiting to be released. Normally a mistake in a spell would cause an unpleasant reverberation, as if her entire body itched at once. But with a spell of this magnitude Mei-Ling was certain any error would reduce her to atoms.

Dan said something else that Mei-Ling couldn't make out, spat off to one side and raised his gun. Mei-Ling felt no fear from looking down the barrel of the massive revolver aimed at her. The spell had been primed and now all it needed was the force of her will to release it. In that brief moment Me-Ling understood what must have been going through her mother's mind when she triggered the same spell centuries before. The certainty of destruction both in front of her and in her own hands, the exhilaration and fear of the power she was going to release, and the regret that she may never see those she loved again tempered by the knowledge her actions would save them.

Mei-Ling screamed, both as a method of focusing the release of the Igyo Tenshin and because the power being channeled through her made it feel as if wind was howling through the marrow of her bones. Tendrils of magic shot between Mei-Ling's fingers as she brought her hands together to complete the final motion for the spell. A wave of pure energy poured out of the young girl and down the mountain. She saw Dan's sneer replaced with a look of stunned surprise before the spell rolled over him.

So much magic in a concentrated area began to warp the laws of reality, causing a violent rainstorm to form out of nowhere. Mei-Ling was exhausted but delighted with the results. Although controlling the spell was draining it wasn't trying to draw her in along with what she was trying to seal. Her desperate attempt was actually going to work. With another yell Mei-Ling pulled the swarming magic together and willed it into the air. One final push would splash the spell against the mountain, dissipating it along with the killer it had overwhelmed.

The Igyo Tenshin pooled in the sky, a ball of glowing power that lit up the underside of the dark storm clouds above it. Mei-Ling looked down at the slope that she was going to drop the spell back on. Standing on the windy, rain swept mountain was a very angry Dan Smith.

Mei-Ling gasped and nearly lost control of the spell she was casting. As she fought to regain her hold on the energy being held in the air she wondered what had happened. Had she been wrong and the spell couldn't contain something as ephemeral as a concept? Had she cast the spell incorrectly? The only thing she was certain of was that if the completion of the spell didn't somehow stop the man that was after them her and her sister were going to be killed.

Dan took aim at Mei-Ling once again. The chamber in his gun began to glow as power built up for his next shot. With no other option left to her, Mei-Ling released the Igyo Tenshin.

Instead of coming down in one massive lump the magic cascaded down, mixing with the rain and wind to create a supernatural storm. The killer staggered under the deluge as the spell completed its cycle. As the downpour increased Mei-Ling lost sight of Dan. She wasn't certain if it was because he was being pulled away by the spell or he was simply hidden by the energy falling all around him but the only thing still visible was the glow from the enhanced bullet he had been preparing to shoot. Soon even that light, which was swaying about as Dan was buffeted by the onslaught, began to flicker and dim. Mei-Ling stared at the wavering light, as if her determination was enough to fix the shattered reality all around her. At first Mei-Ling was happy when the flickering light stopped moving. If the spell was working to such a degree that the assassin was unable to move it would soon pull him away altogether. Still, there was something unnerving about the light that she was unable to place at first. Too late she realized the light was back in the position it had started in; Dan was aiming at her once again.

The roar of the gun was lost in an explosion that echoed all around Mei-Ling. Pain coursed through every part of Mei-Ling's body and her eyes were filled with an ever-brightening light. She couldn't tell if she had been shot, if the spell had finally claimed her as well or if something entirely unexpected had happened. All she knew was that the rending pain she felt was fading as she drifted out of consciousness.

Mei-Ling woke with a start. Not fully aware of her actions, the young girl flailed with a delayed sense of urgency. Something was on top of her, binding her the more she struggled. It was only after her initial sense of panic wore off that she realized that she was in a bed and her twitching had twisted the sheets.

Disentangling herself from the bedspread, Mei-Ling sat up. The room she was in was too dark to see any details but there was light coming from beyond the doorway. Cautiously Mei-Ling crept out of the room and down a hallway to where the light was coming from. Sitting at a kitchen table eating a piece of fruit was her sister.

"Hsien-Ko!"

"Morning sleepyhead," Hsien-Ko said around a mouthful of tangerine. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep the morning away." Instead of the traditional, ghostly outfit she wore when dead Hsien-Ko was wearing an old nightshirt. The morning sun shone on Hsien-Ko's thick black hair and healthy, human skin.

"You're human! We're both human! Was that all a dream?"

"The fight with the guy in the suit was real enough," Hsien-Ko said as she moved a leg out from underneath the table. The smooth, bare skin of her leg was broken up by an ugly black bruise that circled her calf just below her knee. "Thanks to that jerk I'm not going to be able to wear shorts or a skirt for a month."

"But we're alive and we're home so that's all that matters."

"Sis?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you call me 'Hsien-Ko?' You don't think I was reincarnated with the same name as I had before, do you?"

Mei-Ling looked at her sister and then at the room they were in.

"I don't know this house," Mei-Ling said. "We are supposed to have lived a normal, modern life on Earth in our current lives but I don't recognize any of this. I don't know who I'm supposed to be or even my own name. Hsien-Ko what's going on?"

"I wish I knew sis, I wish I knew," Hsien-Ko said as she scooped out another section of tangerine. "If we're lucky we died on that mountain and are in one of the hells until we can get rid of our negative karma. If not, we are very, very lost."

"When I released the Igyo Tenshin I thought about both you and mother," Mei-Ling said. The young girl stared blankly ahead as she spoke. "But I thought of our old life and our mother from centuries ago." Mei-Ling looked directly at her sister. "What happened? Were you right when you said that we weren't supposed to live this life? Are we ghosts who don't know their place?"

"Maybe, but that seems too easy," Hsien-Ko replied. "Perhaps it's that the world is a lot more chaotic and random than anyone wants to admit and we can't keep up. Small wonder that imaginary guy was so angry with us for bringing him into reality; at least a story has some sort of order to it."

There was the sound of movement from the hallway that Mei-Ling had come through.

"It sounds like our parents -or whoever it is that owns this house- is awake," Hsien-Ko said. "Now we'll find out whether we're home or even more lost than we were before."

Mei-Ling listened to the sound of approaching feet and watched the doorway to the kitchen. She was torn between the horror of discovering she was nowhere at all or the equally terrifying realization that this alien place was home.


	2. Chapter 2

"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about sis?" Hsien-Ko said. The former monster hunter adjusted the strap of the book bag on her shoulder while she waited for her sister to open up a spiral wire-bound notebook.

"Look at these," Mei-Ling said. In the middle of the notebook were dozens of pages of incantations, spells and hexes written in ballpoint pen.

"When did you make all of this?"

"Today while at that school we're forced to attend."

"You were drawing pentagrams and writing out magic spells while at school?" Hsien-Ko shook her head as she flipped through the notebook. Not only was there magic ranging from simple binding spells to what appeared to be a complex attempt at dimensional shifting but long, scribbled descriptions of what the magic would do. "Oh sis, what were you thinking? No."

"Hsien-Ko, we have to do something if we're going to get out of this."

"Get out of what?"

"This. This world, this life, this existence!" Mei-Ling scrambled to catch up to her twin sister as Hsien-Ko walked off down the street. "Hsien-Ko we don't belong here."

"How do you know that? We only have vague memories of the time we spent as kuang-shi. Just look at how many mistakes you made in writing out those spells. There are more parts crossed out than there are actual words in the incantations."

"You're right that our past lives are distant and getting harder to remember all the time. But this current life we're in is even worse! We know nothing about those people who claim to be our parents; strangers claim to be our friends-"

"They won't be our friends for much longer if you keep doodling up witchcraft spells during class."

"Everything here is wrong!" Mei-Ling yelled. "Why do you keep pretending that everything is fine?"

"Sis, look," Hsien-Ko stopped and looked at her sister. "I know that things don't add up and that we're not living normal lives. But we are living." Hsien-Ko took her sister's hand in her own. "We're alive. Doesn't it feel great? Isn't it wonderful not to be reanimated corpses? I don't know why we don't know the world around us but I do know that we couldn't have been reincarnated if mother was still trapped by the Darkness. I also know that for the first time in a very long time I'm happy. Even though we don't know this life I know that I like it. I like the sights. I like the sounds. I even like that annoying little boy that knocks on our door and runs away every day since it reminds me that we are in a world of healthy, normal human beings. This may not be a perfect ending but as far as fates go this isn't the worst thing that could have happened to us."

"You're right Hsien-Ko," Mei-Ling squeezed her sister's hand before letting go; "this is what we've wanted for so long. Perhaps I just want to be prepared if something goes wrong... oh, I don't know." Mei-Ling shook her head. "I wish I could be as optimistic as you."

"I'm as scared as you are sis," Hsien-Ko said, "but I'm not going to let that fear get the best of me. We'll make it through this together, I promise."

"I hope you're right."

"I know I'm right. Hey, I'm going to get something to drink before the bus comes. Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay, I'll catch up with you at the bus stop. See you in a minute."

Hsien-Ko ran off, leaving her sister alone in a world she feared and didn't understand.

Mei-Ling felt alone in the crowd of people around her as she walked to the bus stop. She hoped that her sister was right and that they did belong here but not knowing anything about the life she was supposed to be leading scared her. As she moved along she looked through her the notes she had written about magic. Did she really think that she was going to be able to remember a spell that would somehow restore everything to normal even though she wasn't certain what normal was? Now that the initial rush of jotting down the spells had passed she had her doubts. The long descriptions accompanying the instructions now seemed like they were done as an attempt to remember every single memory of the magic she had once wielded. Instead of being a possible form of salvation her notes now looked like a desperate attempt to hold on to memories she understood. The more she thought about it the more likely it seemed that she was simply scared of trying to move on.

Determined to quit fixating on the subject, Mei-Ling closed the notebook and stuffed it back into her book bag. As she was doing so she caught sight of a robe made of bright yellow and red fabric out of the corner of her eye. Idly she wondered what a priest or someone else who had renounced the world was doing in a section of the city dedicated to shopping. The more she thought about it, however, the more strange the sight seemed. She was now living in a modern world of technology, not the spiritual realm she was used to. All around her were people dressed for office work or school, not enlightenment. Curious as to what something associated with religion was doing in such a secular setting Mei-Ling headed off in the direction that she last saw the mysterious person.

Small, black balls of tapioca shot up the straw as Hsien-Ko took a long sip from her tea. While she normally enjoyed the frothy, silly drink the young woman was preoccupied with thoughts about the conversation with her twin. Besides all the trouble that had come with their introduction -or, more likely, re-introduction- to this incarnation Hsien-Ko had noticed that the supernatural was still active in the world around them. She had only caught glimpses of the occasional spirit, such as a specter remaining at a place it had an attachment to in life or an ancestor quietly helping the lives of the current members of their family. Initially she had dismissed the sights as a by-product of the recent time she had spent as a kuang-shi; it seemed she could still see more than what a normal, living person could. Hsien-Ko hadn't planned on mentioning this to her sister since Mei-Ling seemed to be troubled enough about their current situation as it was. Plus, if her sister had noticed something otherworldly she certainly would have brought it up. Now that Hsien-Ko thought about it, however, the more she felt she had not been doing her sister any favors by not telling her about something so important. At the very least trying to preserve the knowledge of their previous lives just in case there was trouble wasn't too bad of an idea.

The streets around Hsien-Ko were filled with people. Having spent centuries living in the shadows being able to move freely through a crowd was a simple pleasure that Hsien-Ko loved. Hsien-Ko's smile faded as she came upon a mother who was intently huddled over a stroller. Although she couldn't see what was inside the stroller Hsien-Ko could see the face of the mother. Her eyes were alight with joy and her mouth and hands were sticky and red. After swallowing something the mother reached her blood covered hands into the stroller. There was the sound of something small and wet being pulled apart as the delighted mother tore off a piece of gore that she greedily stuffed into her mouth.

It had been centuries since Hsien-Ko had vomited so she was out of practice with what to do when bile was pushed out of her stomach and into her mouth. Doubling over at the sudden, unpleasant sensation she spit her drink and most of her lunch onto the sidewalk in front of her. Between her coughs she could hear surprised and disgusted comments from the crowd passing by. While she gagged on the burning acid and the taste of what she had previously eaten Hsien-Ko wondered why the people were concerned about her when there was such a horrible sight in front of them. A sneeze that sent stomach acid up into her sinus cavities caused Hsien-Ko to stagger backwards. After she disentangled herself from a businessman who looked irritated that a violently ill girl was interrupting his day, Hsien-Ko looked back to where the mother was. Both the stroller and the mother were gone, as if they had never been there.

"Uh oh, this isn't good. This isn't good at all."

"Sis! Hey sis, we have trouble!" The adrenaline rush from being sick and the terrible thing she had seen caused Hsien-Ko to jog to where Mei-Ling was supposed to be. Upon seeing her sister she broke into a run. "I just saw the nastiest... oh." Hsien-Ko stopped running when she saw Mei-Ling was talking to a large man in yellow and red robes.

"Hsien-Ko, are you alright? You look terrible!"

"I threw up on the sidewalk a few blocks back but I'm fine now," Hsien-Ko replied. The energy that had been in her voice was gone. "I was going to say that there's trouble in town but it looks like you've already found it."

"So the other sister has arrived. Greetings."

"Hello yourself Donovan."

If the tall man was bothered by Hsien-Ko's tone his impassive face didn't show it. "You have already noticed the disturbances?"

"That's putting it mildly," Hsien-Ko replied. The two sisters stood shoulder to shoulder as they faced the vampire hunter. "So do you know what's going on?"

"That is what I am here to determine. It seems the very balance of matters is off. Something has caused a shift between what is right and what is not."

"And that made you think of us?" Mei-Ling asked.

"No, it seems unlikely you are the source of the problem. You are no longer the people you once were. Then again, none of are." Donovan's right eye glowed slightly in the shadows cast by the wide hat he wore.

"So you're not blaming us for whatever it is that brought you here?" Hsien-Ko said.

"Perhaps it is a form of magic I have not been able to root out. Perhaps it is something else. At the moment I do not believe it is you two. But be assured that when I find the source of the disturbance I shall destroy it." Even though the massive, sentient sword Dhylec wasn't in its customary place on Donovan's back Hsien-Ko was certain he could summon the weapon at a moment's notice.

"If you discover anything let me know. You would not be able to do anything on your own, especially now that you are weak."

"Gee, thanks. We'll keep that in mind."

Donovan Baine turned and strode off without another word. While the people he passed found him to be an odd sight he was such an imposing figure that they avoided eye contact and tried to pretend they were interested in anything but the large man passing by. Anita, the small girl who accompanied Donovan, stayed for a moment to stare at the sisters with her quiet, mask-like face before she followed her companion.

"This isn't good," Mei-Ling said. "We need to figure out what's going on before we get even more involved in something we don't understand."

"You're right," Hsien-Ko replied. "But first let me wash up before the bus gets here. I'm a mess."

"So what are we going to do?"

The two sisters had discussed what they had seen that afternoon on the ride back home. After they realized that they had very little to go on they had fallen silent until they reached their stop. It wasn't until they had started the walk back to their parents' apartment that Mei-Ling asked the question they were both thinking.

"I don't know sis, I don't know," Hsien-Ko replied. "First we don't remember who we are supposed to be in this life and now it seems that there's something wrong with the world itself."

"What you said you saw is horrible," Mei-Ling added. "No wonder you were sick. But what could be the cause of something like that? It would have to be a major disturbance if it attracted the attention of Donovan but it all seems so vague."

"Do you... do you think we're the cause?" Hsien-Ko asked.

"What?" Pausing at the steps that led up to their apartment, Mei-Ling stopped and looked at her sister.

"Maybe you were right. Maybe we aren't supposed to be here. If so, maybe the longer we're here the more things are going to get disrupted. Do you think that we should try that reality shifting spell you wrote up for us?"

Mei-Ling searched her sister's face before she answered. "Hsien-Ko, are you ready to give this life up?"

"Look, I love this life even with its problems but we can't stay if it's killing people. So what do you think? Should we?"

"But what if we aren't the cause? Could we do even more damage by attempting a spell like that?" Mei-Ling shook her head. "We shouldn't think about that until we know what's going on. Or until Donovan quits causing trouble."

"Ugh, I can't stand him or that creepy little kid that follows him around," Hsien-Ko said as she started up the stairs. "That guy is a fanatic."

"What did he say to us the first time we met him?" Mei-Ling said as she followed her sister. "That he might have to destroy us at some point in order to get rid of all the Darkness? Even though we were both hunters and all of us had to contend with the Darkness in us to some extent he still felt the need to say something like that. I don't know if he's that dedicated to his quest or if he simply doesn't know how to relate to others but he's not somebody I want to deal with."

"It's bad enough that his sword has more personality than he does but the death threats were what turned me off to him," Hsien-Ko said as she opened the door to their home. "Out of all the people from our past life he's one I'm not happy to see again."

As soon as the girls had stepped into the apartment the door was kicked shut behind them. The girls spun around to find a man in a suit had been waiting for them inside their house. A large revolver rested on his shoulder. It was Dan Smith, the worst killer in the Killer 7.

"So, are you happy to see me?" Dan said as he strolled into the middle of the room.

Mei-Ling could only stare in horror. The man who didn't exist had somehow tracked them down. He was a fictional character who had been written to be a killer so it wasn't surprising that the only thing he understood was finding his target and eliminating it. Only now did she realize that she should have prepared for his coming. She and her sister were going to be murdered by someone who wasn't real and there was nothing they could do.

If Hsien-Ko realized how dire their situation was she didn't let it show. Instead she pointed a finger at Dan and yelled "You! You're the one responsible for all this! I didn't know what was causing all the trouble around here but since you're a walking pile of nothing you're probably warping reality wherever you go! You were annoying before but now you're a real pain!"

Hsien-Ko's tirade stopped Dan in mid-swagger. A look of confusion crossed the killer's face before he broke into a mean smile. "Heh, you've got spunk, I'll give you that. But I don't know what you're talking about." Dan lifted the revolver off his shoulder and aimed it at Hsien-Ko's face. "So long kid."

In keeping with his regular afternoon routine the five year old neighbor of the sisters rang the doorbell as he passed by. Dan spun around at the sound of the electric buzz and fired a shot through the door. During the brief distraction Mei-Ling pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of the pocket of her school uniform and flung it at Dan's back. The ball of paper adhered to Dan's dark blazer and sent streams of red energy rippling across the hit man's body. Dan let out a snarl of pain and tried to turn around but his movements were jerky and slow. The two sisters cautiously moved in the opposite direction that Dan was turning, their eyes never leaving the gun that Dan was trying to point at them. The sparks of energy intensified into a solid crimson glow and Dan froze in place.

"What did you hit him with?" Hsien-Ko asked. She peered at Dan but was careful not to get in front of the barrel of his revolver.

"I had practiced writing a spell on the back of the receipt from the snacks we bought earlier in the week. Luckily it was still in my pocket."

"So how long will it hold him?" The same grimace of anger and pain remained on Dan's face when Hsien-Ko waved her hand in front of his eyes.

"A store receipt isn't the best medium for a spell plus his unreal nature seems to make him resistant to most everything so..."

"So we should get out of here!" Hsien-Ko finished as she stepped around Dan and headed for the door.

Although eager to get as far away from Dan as possible Hsien-Ko paused for a second at the door, afraid of what she might find on the other side. Holding her breath, she pulled open the door and found, to her great relief that no one was on the other side. Dan's shot had been aimed at what would be the chest of an adult so the bullet had gone over the head of the small child who had been ringing the bell. He had probably run off after getting the scare of his young life but at least he was still alive.

"Where do we go from here?" Mei-Ling asked as she scrabbled down the stairs after her sister.

"Somewhere where's there's lots of people," Hsien-Ko replied. "We'll be just two more schoolgirls in the crowd but a foreigner with a suit and a gun will really stand out. We can work out a better plan later but for now we have to get as far away from him as possible."

"So how are we supposed to beat somebody who is fictional anyway?" Mei-Ling moaned. "Could we tell him the end of his story to give him some sense of completion so he would disappear?"

The sisters had settled on heading to the nearest shopping area. Not only would they be able to blend in with the masses of shoppers but they could possibly find a way to leave either the city or the country itself.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Hsien-Ko said. "But what's his story?"

"That's the part I haven't worked out yet," Mei-Ling replied. "All I know is that's the sort of thing we would have to get right the first time since I'm sure he would be a harsh critic of something he didn't like."

"Huh, good point. But we need to figure out some way to get rid... of..."

Hsien-Ko's voice trailed off as she rounded a corner. Both sisters slowed to a careful walk as they headed along the sidewalk. The street was filled with bright signs, open businesses and a great number of shoppers. Although it was nearly identical to the one the previous street they had just been on there was something about the section of the city they were in that bothered the girls.

"Can you feel it too?" Hsien-Ko asked.

"I can't tell what it is but I don't like it," Mei-Ling said. "I had been so wrapped up in thinking about that Dan creature that I had forgotten about the disturbances."

"Me too." The two sisters had unconsciously moved together until their shoulders were pressed against one another. "But this feels different. The air feels charged, like before a storm or when someone is performing a really powerful spell."

The sisters had expected to see something horrific manifest itself so they didn't recognize the terror when it first started. When they first saw a mass of people running toward them they assumed that they were running from something. Although they couldn't see it they assumed that it was the disturbance that they felt and that it must be large for so many ordinary people to become panicked about it. It was only when the mob got closer to them that they realized that they weren't simply a fleeing group of people. The mob was running blindly ahead. Any obstacle that was in the way was either run over or smashed into. Cars in the street were climbed over or individuals would run into the stopped vehicle, loose their momentum, and get trampled by those behind them. An old couple who couldn't run to the safety of a store could only hold each other before they were overwhelmed by the mob and were gone. Although some of the people scrambled off the street or were lost in the oncoming rush many others stopped what they were doing and also began to blindly run.

It was only because Hsien-Ko turned to speak to her sister that she managed to save both of them. A driver who hadn't noticed the cars that had stopped due to the oncoming crowd swerved to avoid the mass of vehicles and jumped up onto the sidewalk. Clamping onto her arm, Hsien-Ko yanked Mei-Ling off her feet as she jumped backwards. The sisters tumbled to the ground as the car skidded across the sidewalk and hit the side of a building. Dazed, Hsien-Ko and Mei-Ling lay sprawled on the sidewalk. All they could do was look at the crumpled front end of the car and think about how close they had been to being pinned by it. The driver was too busy cradling his bruised face to look at the two girls he had nearly run over. When the car started to rock, however, his head shot up to look out the passenger side window. People were running into and climbing over the wrecked car.

"Move sis, move!" Hsien-Ko yelled as she grabbed Mei-Ling's arm again and yanked her sister to her feet. As she was half stumbling backwards, half being dragged by her sister, Mei-Ling tried to both pull away from her Hsien-Ko's grip and turn around. As Mei-Ling spun away from her sister's hand her outstretched arm hit one of the people who had clambered over the car, knocking her off balance. Hsien-Ko tried to turn to help but a runner pushed past her, causing her to stumble into the main crowd that wasn't being held up by the car. In an instant she was swept up and gone from her sister's sight.

"Hsien-Ko!"

Mei-Ling tried to move in the direction of her sister but the crowd had already piled over the car to such an extent that she couldn't force her way through. The best she could hope for at the moment was to keep herself from being crushed. Praying that her sister would be safe by herself, Mei-Ling started to run.

The furious pace soon left Mei-Ling gasping for breath but she dared not stop. It was all she could do to keep abreast of the people around her; if she slowed down she would be knocked down and trampled. Even though she could feel the blood pumping in her veins due to the exertion Mei-Ling knew she had to keep moving until she found some way to avoid the crowd.

Although she wanted to double over from the effort of her extended run Mei-Ling worked to keep her head up so she could see any possible exit. Whether it was an open store front or even an indentation she could hide anything was better than being trapped inside the insane mob. As Mei-Ling was scanning the buildings around her a runner in front of her hit a crack in the sidewalk and fell. Before he could hit the ground three others had collided with him and also fallen. People fell one after another into each other. Those that were far enough back not to get caught up in the initial pile-up ran directly over the people who had fallen. Mei-Ling pushed away from the confusion. She knew she couldn't live with herself if she had to run over someone to stay alive and if she tripped on one of the people she would never be able to get back up. Her dash away from the carnage caused her to slam into the hard cement front of a building. Before she could recover a runner clipped against her other shoulder. Once again Mei-Ling started to run. The danger now wasn't that the crowd was all around her but that she would be trapped against the side of the wall and beaten down.

Up ahead of her there was a break in the glow from signs and windows. It was an intersection. With one last burst of energy Mei-Ling yelled and ran as fast as she could. The moment the building to her side ended she went around its corner. As the crowd continued its forward momentum Mei-Ling ran along the adjoining sidewalk to safety.

The young girl hunkered over with her hands on her knees as she wheezed and gasped for breath. Although she ached from the run and the beating she had received from the crowd she could relax for a moment now that she was safe. As she waited for her pulse to return to normal she scanned the onlookers around her. A ring of people stood on the side street either to escape the mob or to watch as it passed. Several were trying to help a man who had fallen and broken his arm during the turmoil while the rest stood and watched in disbelief. Mei-Ling's eyes widened in recognition when she saw a face in the crowd. She had hoped that her sister would be among the onlookers but instead she saw Dan Smith. In spite of how tired and battered she was Mei-Ling started to run again. Mei-Ling had wanted to go look for her sister as soon as the rush of people had cleared but all she could do now was to get as far away from Dan as possible before he spotted her. She prayed that her sister would be safe on her own and she hoped that someone would make the same prayer for her as well.

The moment Hsien-Ko fell into the crowd she knew she was in trouble. With the hundreds of people blindly running around her it was only a matter of time before something happened that would cause her to be crushed. She and Mei-Ling had to get out of the crowd as quickly as possible.

Although she wanted to get back to her sister the first thing she had to do was keep up with the deadly mob around her. She sprinted to keep up with the crowd, putting her farther away from Mei-Ling with every step. Hsien-Ko attempted to look over her shoulder to see if she could spot her sister but by not watching her surroundings she accidentally stepped to one side and bumped into the person running next to her. Because of her mis-step her foot became entangled in the legs of the panting middle aged woman on her side. Frantic at the loss of balance, Hsien-Ko pushed off with her other foot and jumped further into the crowd. The sound of the woman collapsing and those behind her blindly falling onto her was only dim noise behind Hsien-Ko as she ran parallel to the hundreds careening down the street. The runners battered into the young girl again and again as she desperately tried to keep upright and get back into the flow of humanity. A particularly fast runner slammed directly into Hsien-Ko, knocking her over. Desperate not to hit the ground, Hsien-Ko grabbed the front of the runner's shirt and pulled herself up. Although Hsien-Ko managed to keep herself upright the runner had also now been thrown off his stride. Like an uncontrolled dance team, the two of them spun wildly through the mob. Although others repeatedly hit them Hsien-Ko was able to keep her balance by hanging onto the runner and was also able to keep him on his feet when he was struck. The runner tried to run forward but kept being pulled off by the tight grip of Hsien-Ko. For her part Hsien-Ko wanted to let go but she knew that when she did the crowd would overwhelm her again.

As she was bounced through the crowd Hsien-Ko saw that they were being knocked toward a street lamp. Hitting a heavy steel object like that would stop her momentum and mean certain death. Gripping the runner's shirt so tightly that her fingers turned white, Hsien-Ko twisted him around until he was in front of her. A dull, metallic echo rang out when the runner's back slammed into the pole. Looking up from the school uniform she was clutching, Hsien-Ko finally saw the face of the runner she had been holding. She only saw him for an instant but it was more than enough time to see the look of shock and pain on his face now that his run had come to a stop. He was a young man, around her age. Hsien-Ko thought he might be from her school, even possibly someone from her classes but she didn't recognize him through the haze of pain and exhaustion on his face. A runner behind Hsien-Ko crashed into her, knocking her away from the pole. As she staggered and twirled away she wished that she could have told the young man that it had been either her or him and that she didn't mean him any harm. That even if he couldn't forgive her for what she had done that she hoped he could at least understand why. That she never, ever would have killed him but she had to stay alive for the sake of her sister. The sound of the young man collapsing into the wave of people trampling him was a dim, terrible noise behind Hsien-Ko as she was buffeted through the crowd.

Hsien-Ko wild ride had pushed her from one end of the street to the other. The crowd kept jostling her and pushing her against the sides of nearby buildings as she tried to start running again. An ashen faced, heavy set man swayed into Hsien-Ko, slamming her into a glass doorway. The thick glass had already been cracked by previous runners so Hsien-Ko's small frame was enough to finally shatter it. The jagged shards of glass tore through Hsien-Ko's skin and the meat underneath as she fell into the store. Hsien-Ko was certain she had been cut badly but at the moment the tears in her body only registered as a mild, odd sensation. She wasn't sure if the pain would set in and the gashes in her body would open up once she tried to move but as she lay in a pile of bloodied glass she didn't feel as bad as she thought she should. For a moment she pondered whether she had more badly injured by the crowd or the fall through the glass.

Hsien-Ko gritted her teeth and forced herself to concentrate and not idly ponder her injuries. She suspected she was going into shock. If she lost consciousness now there was a good chance she would bleed to death before she woke up or someone found her. The glass underneath her grated against the linoleum floor as Hsien-Ko pulled herself further into the store on her elbows. Even that slow crawl was more effort than her body seemed willing to do. Convincing herself that she was only going to rest to regain her strength, Hsien-Ko shut her eyes and rested her head on her arms. The mass of people that continued to run furiously by didn't pause at the sight of a young girl slumped inside a dark store.

Mei-Ling's legs were cramped from the unexpected run she had recently been forced to do. Her arms and shoulders ached from the beating she had received while being shoved about by the insane mob. Even though she desperately wanted to stop for a moment to let her aching body rest Mei-Ling kept pushing herself forward. She was certain that Dan Smith had spotted her and if she stopped for a second she would be killed.

Keeping his movements to a brisk, steady pace, Dan was now a block behind the tired, scared girl. Instead of rushing after Mei-Ling, Dan's quick walk was slowly wearing her down without causing the people on the street to notice he was pursuing someone. Her efforts to get away from Dan had sent Mei-Ling several blocks away from where she had first spotted him so she was now in a part of the city that had not been affected by the running mob. The crowds of shoppers around her were unaware that something inexplicable was happening nearby or that the foreign man who was walking among them was the fictional representation of a hit man. Mei-Ling was uncertain what to do next. If she tried to run she didn't know how Dan would react. It was entirely possible that he would start shooting into the crowd in an effort to stop her. Even if she somehow found the energy to start running again any of his shots that missed her would hit the people around her. Innocent people would die and there was no guarantee that she would get away. All the stores along the street were small shops so she couldn't try and lose him by hiding inside a building. For now all she could do was keep moving and try to find some way to escape before Dan caught up with her.

Mei-Ling was so preoccupied with trying to escape she didn't see Donovan until she nearly walked into him. The vampire hunter was standing still as stone in the middle of the sidewalk. His normally dark complexion was clammy and ill looking. He stared straight ahead with emotion filled eyes.

"Donovan?" Mei-Ling asked. Even with her current circumstances she found the troubled hunter an odd sight.

"You have seen the disturbance too, haven't you?" Donovan continued to look at nothing. "Everything is becoming undone. Even my control over the Darkness inside me is ebbing. Perhaps this chaos around us is the end of dharma in preparation for the coming of the Bodhisattva Maitreya. Or perhaps it is something that I am simply too weak to deal with." Donovan finally looked down at Mei-Ling. "I sent the little one away to a temple so she would either be safe or would be well prepared for when this world ends and the new one begins. You should also prepare for the change that is upon us."

Mei-Ling could only stare at Donovan as the weight of what he was suggesting sank in.

"Out of the way big guy, I have business with the girl." The brief pause in Mei-Ling's run had been enough for Dan to catch up with her. The killer now stood only a few paces away from her. He stood with one arm resting on top of the other so that he looked relaxed but still kept his right hand within easy reach of the ugly lump hidden under his jacket.

"Empty of essence, you are form without substance." Donovan's eyes cleared and became focused when he saw Dan. "But you are a conglomeration of the amoral ways of Man. Nothing good can come of you." Donovan's great sword appeared from under the traveler's cloak he wore. "Even in these end times I can't ignore a danger such as you."

"Is that right?" Dan pulled the Demon Gun out of its holster and slung the weapon up onto his shoulder. "If you think you can stop me you're welcome to try."

"Even though I am barely the man I was is there still enough left of me to defeat the nothingness of you?" The steel edge of Dhylec crackled against the cement as Donovan moved his sword arm out in preparation for an attack. "Or will I lose my way in the void at your center?"

"Maybe this will be decided by those philosophical tid bits you're tossing around, or maybe this will be decided by who hits the hardest." Dan's attention was now entirely focused on Donovan, his ruthless hunt of Mei-Ling momentarily forgotten. "Ready to find out?"

The two adversaries stood and faced each other. The people on the street were momentarily concerned when the two of them pulled out weapons but it all seemed so strange that it barely registered that there was danger. As the two fighters stared each other down a crowd formed around them. Although the passers by weren't certain what was happening the sight was so peculiar that they felt compelled to stop and see what was going to happen next.

The only person who left the unfolding drama was Mei-Ling. She ran as fast as her exhausted body would move back in the direction where she had last seen Hsien-Ko. The start of the battle gave her a frightened jolt to get as far from the carnage as possible. Although she was already a city block away she could hear the roar of Dan's gun and smell the crackling ozone as Donovan unleashed elemental bolts of energy. Mixed in were the yells from the circle of onlookers as they screamed, fled and died. By now dozens if not hundreds had been killed tonight. The only hope that Mei-Ling had now was that she could be re-united with her sister before either of them ended up among the dead.

Hsien-Ko woke with a start when she realized the moaning she heard wasn't her own. Looking about she found she was behind a store counter. Apparently she had crawled further into the store than she remembered. Even though her body ached from the effort she sat up and peered over the counter.

Three figures were shambling about the store. The only thing she was certain of was that they were once human. Their pale skin suggested that blood was no longer being pumped through their veins while their jerky, uncertain movements indicated that rigor mortis was hindering their muscles. The clincher was that one of them had a large open wound on his arm. There was so much coagulated blood splashed down the side of his body that he should have died from blood loss.

Hsien-Ko ducked her head back down under the counter when one of the dead men turned in her direction. She had decided that the people in the front of the store were animated corpses but she had not yet determined what type of corpse they were. Were they bodies that were under the control of some outside force, spirits who had been unable to leave their earthly shell, or regular old zombies? Knowing what sort of ghoul they were would let her know what she had to do if she had to directly deal with them. As Hsien-Ko looked about to see if there was some route she could take to avoid the walking dead she spotted something that caused her to break into a grin. The store owner had left a sports bag with a change of clothes and athletic shoes beneath the register. Tucked under the bag was an aluminum baseball bat. Even if the undead weren't the type who could be defeated by a blow to the head the impact would still be enough to keep them from coming after her.

Gripping the bat with both hands, Hsien-Ko readied herself for a run at the door. She was surprised that she was able to remember so much about the identification of monsters. It seemed the memories of her past life weren't as deeply buried as she thought and only needed the proper stimulus to re-appear. She was also happy to find that although she was sore she wasn't as terribly injured as she was worried she might be. It seemed her human body was more resilient than she had suspected.

Rising up from behind the counter, Hsien-Ko discovered that one of the ghouls had staggered dangerously close. The zombie's temple made a satisfying crunching noise when the metal bat hit the side of his head. When the zombie crashed to the floor the other two ghouls slowly turned around. Hsien-Ko's gaze shifted between the two as she waited to see which one would notice and come after her first. Instead the two zombies dully looked around for the source of the noise and when nothing caught their attention they stood as listlessly as the corpses they were. Still tightly gripping the bat with both hands Hsien-Ko crouched down a bit in order to look one of the zombies straight in the eye. She was certain the ghoul could see her but he made no move to attack.

Hsien-Ko was dumbfounded. Even if the zombies didn't try and eat the flesh off her bones she still thought they would have attacked an intruder. But instead the zombies showed no interest in her even when she waved the bat under the nose of one of them. Although there didn't appear to be any immediate threat Hsien-Ko still moved cautiously past the remaining two undead. As she kept her back against one side of the store she noticed that the opposite wall had a small mirror on it so customers could see how the sunglasses that were on display nearby looked on them. In the mirror Hsien-Ko could see her reflection. She was dirty, scared and clutching a bloody aluminum bat. Her skin had also become a pale, dead blue. At some point after she had fallen into the store she had once again become a kuang-shi. Now she understood why the zombies weren't interested in her; to them she was just another walking corpse.

Mei-Ling wasn't sure how long she had spent looking among the survivors and the bodies for Hsien-Ko. She thought it had been hours but the world around her was warping to such an extent that she suspected the night she was currently in could last for a long, long time. The sky was now black and without stars, with the only light from above being the occasional wave of energy that would pass overhead. The disturbance had grown in size and power but she had no way of telling by how much. The only information she had been able to find from outside the area she was in was a display of television sets that were still running. While most were tuned to a video of an action movie from Hollywood one had been switched over to a local station. Instead of reporting on the incident the only scene it showed was of a newscaster crying hysterically at her desk.

The section of the city she was in was nearly deserted. Most people had either fled as the danger had increased or been killed. Seeing a city that was normally crowded with life empty and still was nearly as bizarre a sight as the supernatural events that had been occurring. Mei-Ling had slowly been making her way down the path that the crowd had run. Whether the crowd had finally winnowed out due to exhaustion or they had blindly run into the bay and drowned was unknown but they had covered a great deal of ground. Mei-Ling would stop and check every young woman who had been trampled or peer into open buildings to see if her sister was inside. She would occasionally find scared clusters of survivors who were hiding inside the buildings until help came but Hsien-Ko wasn't among them.

The growing power of the disturbance was either starting to mutate people and animals or it was drawing in things that shouldn't be on Earth. Several times she had come across swarms of small creatures that were picking at the still warm bodies on the street. Because they flew off when she drew close Mei-Ling never got a good look at them but she was certain they weren't birds. Other times she had heard inhuman wailing or felt something watching her from inside dark buildings. Even though Mei-Ling still had her notebook of scribbled spells she gave anything that made her uncomfortable a wide berth. Even if she was still a hunter and not an exhausted human the damage that had been done was too great for her to deal with on her own.

Spotting what looked like part of a school uniform Mei-Ling stopped to dig through a pile of bodies that had become pinned against the side of a wall. The girl wasn't Hsien-Ko but was just another victim of the crowd. Her once pretty face was now frozen in a look of panic from being suffocated by the bodies that had pinned her in place. Exhausted in both mind and body, Mei-Ling sat down on the street. With so many killed she wondered who would help all the spirits overcome their violent deaths. Mei-Ling silently promised the dead girl that she would perform the necessary rituals after she was reunited with her Hsien-Ko but for now it was all Mei-Ling could do was try and stay alive.

There was the sound of movement behind Mei-Ling. Wiping her eyes dry, Mei-Ling turned around to discover that something was moving in one of the buildings behind her. Something that may have once been a rat peered at her from a doorway. The thing stood as high as her knees and peered at her with black, beady eyes. Mei-Ling jumped to her feet and shouted at the creature. The sudden noise didn't seem to spook the rat but it did move back into the building. Mei-Ling was certain the rat was after the bodies next to her. Even though the idea of leaving them for the vermin in the area was repugnant Mei-Ling knew there was little else that she could do. Feeling worse than ever, Mei-Ling once again set off in search of her sister.

It wasn't until she had gone three blocks that she realized that she was being followed. Things were moving from building to building and shadow to shadow. There were more than one of the monster rats and they weren't interested in the dead bodies but in her. Each time they darted after her they moved a little closer. As soon as they either decided she wasn't a threat or was too tired to fight back they would attack. Mei-Ling had to fight down an instinct to flee. If she showed any weakness she knew they would lose all hesitation in coming after her. She was also hesitant to try a spell since she was far too tired to try something as taxing as magic and she didn't know what would happen to a spell that was powerful enough to stop the rats was sent through the medium of notebook paper. Instead all she could do was keep moving down the street as the rats slowly circled in.

Mei-Ling could now hear the rats moving all around her. She was tempted to run and hide in one of the buildings but she didn't know if she barricade all the entrances before the rats got in. What she did know was that she had to do something soon since the rats were now coming out and looking directly at her before scuttling back into the shadows. It wouldn't be long before one of them worked up the courage to come after her. A change in Mei-Ling's grim situation came from the unlikeliest of places as Dan Smith walked onto the street from a side road.

Upon spotting the killer Mei-Ling broke into a run. Dan, who had been surveying the street in order to decide which way to go next, glanced over at the sound of running in time to see a young girl heading straight toward him. Tumbling into Dan, Mei-Ling wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged herself as tightly to him as she could.

"What the-?"

Dan looked down at the girl clutching onto him with genuine surprise. Before he could act, however, he heard screeching and the sound of clawed feet coming toward him. Angry at the possibility of losing their prey, one of the rats charged at Dan and Mei-Ling. The rat's head exploded when Dan fired. After taking a quick look at the situation Dan aimed his gun and fired again, hitting one of the rats that had been standing nearby. The rat let out a long, high squeal as it fell to the ground and twitched. It's dying moans and spasms un-nerved the other rats, causing them to slink off in search of easier prey.

"Okay kid, get off of me. It's time to finish this."

"Can't you stop?" Mei-Ling continued to cling tightly to Dan. "Something terrible is happening to the world and all you can think about is the grudge you have against us? Don't you even see what's going on around you?"

"You don't get it either, do you?" Dan said. "Do you think the city is under attack by some spell? Or are you like that guy I got sidetracked fighting who was convinced that the world was being remade? Doesn't anyone else get it? This is it. This is the end. There weren't any special rules that kept things running. Everything was held together by the slimmest of chances but now the odds have caught up with us and it's all gone to shit. The world isn't going to end with some sort of cosmic judgment or for a higher purpose. Instead it's all going to come apart around our ears and that's that."

"All these people have died... and the world is coming apart for no reason at all? Do you actually believe that?" Desperation had driven Mei-Ling to throw herself onto Dan but now she was regretting her rash action. All the rats would have done was kill her but Dan's line of thinking was toxic. What if there wasn't anything connecting the world? What if her not knowing her family or the life she was supposed to have not some sort of fluke or problem but a sign of the way life actually was? She couldn't let herself think like that; it left no hope.

"Not only is the world coming apart but I'm glad that it is. I know that death isn't necessarily an escape but oblivion? I'm going to enjoy the release."

"But if that's what you think why are you still chasing us? Why spend your final moments killing us?"

"That's an easy one kid." Dan slid his hand under Mei-Ling's chin and tilted her head back so she was looking up at him. "In the end I'm the same as everyone else. I'm just going through the motions even though there's no reason for me to."

With his right hand Dan cocked his revolver and brought it up to the side of the head of the girl who still hopelessly clung to him. Mei-Ling continued to stare up at Dan but his face was calm and collected as he prepared to murder her. Suddenly a spasm ran through Dan's body. Mei-Ling let go of him as the hit man screamed in pain and tilted backwards. A stainless steel cleaver was imbedded in the back of his thigh.

Following up on the cleaver she had just thrown Hsien-Ko dashed in and swung her bat, hitting Dan in the neck. Dan gurgled in pain but remained standing. A kick to the cleaver that was still stuck in his leg, however, was enough to knock him off his feet. As Dan collapsed Hsien-Ko struck him in the face with the bat, sending him tumbling onto the street. Hsien-Ko moved to continue her attack but leapt back as Dan blindly fired off a volley of shots. Dodging the wild spray of bullets Hsien-Ko grabbed her sister and then leapt an inhuman distance away from the downed assassin.

Holding her sister tightly, Hsien-Ko ran through the air until the thunder of Dan's gun was far in the distance. It wasn't until she landed that Hsien-Ko finally spoke to Mei-Ling.

"Are you okay sis?"

"Forget about me, you're a kuang-shi again! Oh Hsien-Ko, what happened?" Mei-Ling ran her hands over her sisters pale blue cheeks.

"Yeah, I either switched back to a previous existence or I died at some point tonight. Considering what's been happening lately it could have been a lot worse."

"So what do we do now? Can we stop what has been going on?" Mei-Ling asked. "You didn't happen to find out what's behind all this, did you?"

"Sorry sis, I don't know what's going on either. But before we can find out we need to stop that guy," Hsien-Ko pointed her bat back down the street on which they had fled. "He'll never stop hounding us until we figure out a permanent solution. I didn't leave him that far behind so he should catch up to us in several minutes." Hsien-Ko looked back to Mei-Ling. "So, do you have any ideas?"

"Do you?"

"Nothing beyond hitting him with this bat some more. If I could manage to knock that gun out of his hand I'm certain we could deal with him." Hsien-Ko flipped open her book bag. Inside was a collection of knives and other sharp kitchen utensils, some of which were still in their packaging. "Here, grab a few if you want something to fight with. It's not like the weapons we had back when we were hunters but they're better than nothing."

Mei-Ling reached for the bag but then stopped as she became lost in thought. "Nothing... just like him." Coming to a decision, Mei-Ling snatched a serrated steak knife out of the bag and gripped it firmly. "If this doesn't work I think I may have one last trick we can try."

Dan Smith trudged up the middle of the deserted street. The abandoned cars, wrecked store fronts and the endless number of bodies were ignored as he continued his hunt for the two sisters. Coming upon an intersection Dan stopped. The killer slowly scanned the dark buildings around him before he swung around and aimed his revolver down the street where he had just been. Not finding anything Dan slung the gun back up onto his shoulder and turned back around.

Hsien-Ko materialized above Dan and slammed the metal bat onto the top of Dan's head as she dropped out of the sky.

"Surprise!"

Hsien-Ko hit the doubled over Dan again, knocking him to the ground. Before Dan could recover Hsien-Ko swung the bat at the wrist of Dan's gun hand. Her aim was off, however, and the bat bounced off the top of the heavy revolver instead.

When Hsien-Ko's assault started Mei-Ling ran out from her hiding place inside a nearby building in order to help her sister. She arrived at the battle just as Hsien-Ko's bat made a hollow, metallic ring as it was reflected off Dan's revolver. Dan was sprawled on his back with a mixture of pain and anger on his face. The bruises and blood from his latest beating from Hsien-Ko were already starting to mend on his nonexistent body. He looked Mei-Ling directly in the eye as she pressed a blank piece of paper to his chest.

Hsien-Ko had the bat ready for another swing but stopped when her sister darted between her and Dan. Before Hsien-Ko could start yelling at Mei-Ling to get out of the way Dan started to glow. Hsien-Ko hopped away from Dan as a white light spread across his body from the spot where the paper was affixed. As the glow spread the detail on Dan's body began to fade. Dan only had time for a brief, baffled look at his white, fading hand before he was erased.

"So what just happened?" Hsien-Ko asked.

"I realized we were using physical things to fight an idea." Mei-Ling was still sitting on the cement near where Dan had vanished. "That got me to wondering what would happen if we used another piece of imagination against him. So instead of writing out a spell I placed a blank piece of paper -to represent the idea of a spell- on him instead. That doesn't make much sense but it seems to have worked."

"That's pretty clever," Hsien-Ko said as she helped her sister to her feet. "Still, it's not as much fun as hitting him with the bat."

The air to the right of the girls crackled with energy. A hazy image of Dan Smith appeared. Clutching at the piece of paper affixed to his chest, the assassin swayed on his feet before disappearing again.

"He came back!" Hsien-Ko yelled. "Why did he come back?"

"How should I know?" Mei-Ling yelled back. "What do we do now?"

"Let's get as far away from here as possible. If we're lucky he'll fade away before he can find us."

Before the sisters could move Dan reappeared half a block away. The killer sagged as if the piece of notebook paper was weighing him down before he disappeared yet again.

"Now he's appearing at random," Mei-Ling complained. "Where do we go when we don't know where he's going to appear next?"

"It can't be random," Hsien-Ko replied. "He's probably stuck in this area as he dissipates. The sooner we get away from here the better. Here, I'll carry you again. It won't be comfortable but it will be better than staying around here."

Hsien-Ko held out her arms to Mei-Ling. Before Mei-Ling could move Dan appeared between the two sisters. There was so little left of Dan that he was only a vague highlights on a body that had been bleached of color. Even though he now resembled a pencil sketch the look of surprise on his face was evident when he saw that he was standing directly in front of Mei-Ling. The young girl was also surprised but she didn't have the training of a professional killer to fall back on. All she could do was stare dumbfounded as Dan quickly raised his gun and fired. Even though the gun was as faded as Dan it roared as it went off directly into Mei-Ling's chest. Before the echo of the report could fade Dan vanished once again. Mei-Ling crumpled to the ground.

"Mei-Ling!"

Hsien-Ko ran over to her fallen sister. Mei-Ling didn't scream or convulse after being shot. Instead the young girl remained where she had fallen. There was gunpowder on the front of her blouse and small splotches of blood near the bullet wound. Gripping her bat tightly, Hsien-Ko looked around the empty street, irrationally hoping that Dan would reappear one more time. Even though she knew it wouldn't do any good she still wanted to hit him, to see his skin bruise and hear his bones crack, to pay him back for hurting Mei-Ling. But the only thing around her was the empty street. Hsien-Ko let out a shriek of frustration, threw the bat aside, scooped up her sister, and vanished.

The sisters sprang back into the world on the top of a nearby building. Hsien-Ko gently laid her sister down on the roof. The exit wound on Mei-Ling's back had left Hsien-Ko's hand sticky with blood. The sensation of her sister's blood cooling and drying on her arm left Hsien-Ko feeling ill.

The city around Hsien-Ko was quiet with the only light coming from several buildings that had caught fire. Hsien-Ko couldn't guess how many people had died since the disturbances had started. She wondered how many people were left alive in the city, or even in the world. Although she doubted that the people who had been their parents in this life had survived the carnage she hoped that they had died quickly. They had seemed like nice people and she wouldn't have wanted for them to suffer.

Hsien-Ko gently pulled the book bag off of her sister's shoulder. Mei-Ling remained still. Books, school work, and the knife she had grabbed for defense were pitched aside until Hsien-Ko came upon the notebook filled with incantations. There were spells that were as basic as the promotion of good luck for a household to complex diagrams on how to bind a demon. The section detailing the Igyo Tenshin included a sprawling section on their mother that stopped in mid-sentence as if Mei-Ling had come to the realization that she had become caught up in memories instead of focusing on the cataloging of magic. The spell, into which the most care and detail had gone, however, was the spell that allowed for a shift in reality.

Normally the spell was used by soothsayers and fortune tellers for a glimpse into a parallel reality that was running slightly ahead in order to gain a view of the possible future. Mei-Ling had taken the text of the incantation and grafted onto a spell for teleportation. If the amalgamated spell worked correctly the caster would be shifted across reality itself. However, there was no way of determining what the final destination would be or even if the spell wouldn't pull the person out of everything, making it as if the caster had never existed. In her side notes Mei-Ling noted these fears and others even as she had continued creating the spell.

"I don't know if your spell is going to work sis," Hsien-Ko said, "but what other choice do we have?"

Hsien-Ko knelt down by her sister and began chanting. Trying only to concentrate on the spell, the kuang-shi closed her eyes and tried to block out everything around her. The hot, dry wind that was blowing in from the direction of the bay and the sound of buildings groaning as they crumpled to pieces was ignored as she continued to recite the spell. It was only the tingling sensation of her body beginning to shift that made Hsien-Ko hesitate. Hsien-Ko threw herself on top of her sister and continued the magic recitation.

The slight prickling sensation in Hsien-Ko's body flipped into a feeling of being everywhere and nowhere at once as the teleportation spell took effect. Hsien-Ko tried to look at her surroundings but she couldn't see anything or feel her body. She wasn't sure where she was or even if she still was. Although she no longer had any form Hsien-Ko kept reassuring herself that she still had a hold of her sister.

"Hsien-Ko?" Mei-Ling's voice seemed to echo in Hsien-Ko's thoughts. "Where are we?"

"Mei-Ling, you're still with me," Hsien-Ko whispered. "I'm glad. I'm so glad."

"But where are we?"

"I was trying to get us someplace safe but right now I'm not sure where we are."

In the darkness a small glimmer of light could be seen. The sisters couldn't tell if it was because the light was getting brighter or if it was because they were moving towards the light but the glow began to spread.

"Hsien-Ko, I'm scared."

"Me too sis, but as long as we're together I know we can handle whatever happens next."


End file.
